Hunting season starts in Irkutsk region, month behind schedule

November 03, 2011, 11:03 UTC+3The hunt for wild boars and musk deers will be allowed till December 31, for roe deers, elks and Siberian stags – till January 15

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IRKUTSK, November 3 (Itar-Tass) —— A hunting season for wild hoofed animals has started in Russia’s Trans-Baikal territory, a month behind schedule because of the lack of snow, a spokesman for the wildlife protection and use service of the Irkutsk region told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

The hunt for wild boars and musk deers will be allowed till December 31, for roe deers, elks and Siberian stags – till January 15, and for wild reindeers – till late February, the spokesman specified.

According to the spokesman, specialists say the number of wild animals in the region has stabilized at a relatively high level. Thus, the population of roe deers nears 50,000, the population of elks has exceeded 40,000, the population of red deers numbers 30,000, and the population of wild reindeer stands at 20,000.

Hunting area in the regions adjacent to Lake Baikal are estimated at 70 million hectares, of which a tenth part is classified as open for general public. Such areas are located mostly in southern and western districts.

The number of the personnel of the wildlife protection and use service has increased four-fold in the past three years, thus making anti-poaching efforts more efficient. Thus, whilst about 300 poaching cases were reported in 2008, the figure went up to 700 in 2010, and reached 1,500 in 2011. The number of court trials on charges on incurring damage to the nature has increased likewise. If a regular penalty for an illegally shot roe deer ranges from 1,000 to 2,000 roubles, a court award stands at 25,000 roubles.